8 May 2025 press release

14 German libraries and archives have returned a total of 41 books that formerly belonged to the Austrian writer Raoul Fernand Jellinek-Mercedes (1888 Algiers-1939 Baden near Vienna) in a joint act of restitution coordinated by the German National Library. After the 'annexation' of Austria in March 1938, Jellinek-Mercedes was persecuted on account of his Jewish origins. In February 1939, the strain of the repression caused him to take his own life.

In recent years, provenance researchers have identified 41 volumes from the Jellinek-Mercedes collection. These books have been returned to the community of Raoul Fernand Jellinek-Mercedes' heirs. In the spirit of a just and fair solution, they were subsequently repurchased for the libraries' collections.

The coordinated act of joint restitution illustrates how important it is for libraries to systematically review their collections even though 80 years have passed since the end of National Socialism. It also shows how much the search benefits from cooperation between the individual institutions. The cooperation was made possible to no small degree by dialogue within the Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung und Restitution – Bibliotheken (Working Group for Provenance Research and Restitution – Libraries). This organisation is committed to the cross-institutional bundling of cases, thus relieving some of the strain that falls upon the heirs during restitution negotiations.

Raoul Fernand Jellinek-Mercedes was a supporting member of the Wiener Musikverein (Vienna Musical Society) and owned a large collection of musical scores, paintings and books. His widow Léopoldine Weiss (1885-1981) was forced to sell large parts of this collection after his death. The items sold included his valuable private library, which found its way into the antiquarian book trade and was then scattered far and wide.

The 41 volumes were found in the following libraries:

• Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München
• Bibliothek des Zentrums für Militärgeschichte und Sozialwissenschaften der Bundeswehr Potsdam (vertreten durch das Fachinformationszentrum der Bundeswehr, Bonn)
• Bibliothek des Zentrums Informationsarbeit Bundeswehr Strausberg (vertreten durch das Fachinformationszentrum der Bundeswehr, Bonn)
• Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach
• Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Leipzig
• Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek Weimar, Klassik Stiftung Weimar
• Landesbibliothekszentrum Rheinland-Pfalz, Pfälzische Landesbibliothek Speyer
• Leipziger Städtische Bibliotheken
• Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden
• Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz
• Stadtbibliothek Chemnitz
• Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt
• Universitätsbibliothek J. C. Senckenberg Frankfurt am Main
• Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart

The works cover a wide range of subjects, ranging from biographies and books about book illustration, contemporary music and literature to treatises on military history. The documentation of the findings allows Jellinek-Mercedes' library to be at least partly reconstructed, and testifies to the variety and high standards of a collection amassed by an educated citizen with eclectic interests.

More information

about Raoul Fernand Jellinek-Mercedes and the dispersal of his private library in the blog „14 Bibliotheken und Archive geben gemeinsam Bücher an die Erb*innen von Raoul Fernand Jellinek-Mercedes zurück“. https://retour.hypotheses.org/5802

Background

The German National Library collects, documents and archives all written publications and sound recordings issued in Germany since 1913 together with works in German and about Germany published worldwide; it then makes them available to the public. It offers a comprehensive range of services at its sites in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main along with digital services that can be accessed all over the world.

With the German Exile Archive 1933-1945 and the German Museum of Books and Writing, the German National Library also has valuable and rich special collections. It regularly organises readings, exhibitions, presentations and concerts to draw attention to its treasures and promotes a culture of books, reading and music with a diverse programme of events.

Information on provenance research at the German National Library: www.dnb.de/provenienzforschung

Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung und Restitution – Bibliotheken (Working Group for Provenance Research and Restitution – Libraries): https://provenienz.gbv.de/APR-Bib

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